A man is in hospital having suffered what are believed to be life-changing injuries, after he was allegedly shot by a police officer.
The incident happened at The Park Gate Inn in Hollingbourne, near Leeds Castle, at around 8.45pm on Monday 7th July.
The A20 Ashford Road, near Leeds Castle, was shut by officers and forensics teams were seen in the pub car park later in the evening.
The A20 Ashford Road, near Leeds Castle, was shut by officers and the road remains closed between Chegworth Road and Penfold Hill on Tuesday morning.
Kent Police are being investigated after the shooting, although theyhave not yet responded to inquiries, but the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed an investigation has been launched.
A spokesman for the IOPC said “We have begun an independent investigation after a man was shot and seriously injured by Kent Police, who were responding to an incident on Monday 7 July. We were notified by the force after the incident in Hollingbourne, which occurred shortly before 9pm, and declared an independent investigation a short time later. We have sent investigators to the scene and the police post incident procedure to begin gathering evidence. Our investigation is in the very early stages.”
Update 9th July – The man that was shot was wielding a chainsaw and holding what officers believed was a homemade bomb, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said. The man, described as being in his 30s, was initially visited by unarmed police at a property opposite the pub at approximately 7.15pm due to an ‘outstanding warrant’ against him – but refused to come out.
Armed officers were then deployed and reportedly found the man wearing a gas mask and body armour, holding a chainsaw and another object police suspected was a handmade firearm or improvised explosive device (IED).
The man then ignored two warning baton rounds and refused to put down the chainsaw, at which point he was shot by an armed officer with a conventional firearm. He was left with injuries described as ‘not believed to be life-threatening but [that] may be life-changing’, the IOPC confirmed.
The police watchdog said the man was given first aid at the scene and taken to hospital with wounds to his arm and abdomen.
